But whether the Aggie quarterback will play in Saturday’s opener against Rice remains the daily, if not hourly, question in college football. Manziel met with NCAA investigators for nearly six hours Sunday, according to an ESPN report.

The NCAA and A&M are investigating allegations Manziel sold autographs to memorabilia dealers. He denied the allegations in the interview, according to a CBSsports.com report. A&M faces a deadline to make a call on Manziel’s eligibility by the noon kickoff.

“I can’t talk about how that decision is going to be made and what goes into that decision,” Sumlin said during a regularly scheduled news conference. “I’ve said from Day One there will be a lot of people involved.”

A&M president Bowen Loftin said on Texags.com radio Tuesday, “We’re waiting to see what happens this week. We’ll know enough, I hope, before the game kicks on Saturday to make the very best decision.”

“A&M’s in a rough spot,” said Mark Jones, a former NCAA enforcement official. “They want to be fair to the team, they want to be fair to the reputation of the university, fair to their opponents, and they also want to be fair to their player. They’ve got to evaluate all of those things.”

Jones said A&M and the NCAA will probably hold a “meeting of the minds.”

“By that, I mean the enforcement staff and the school try to say, ‘OK, this is where we see things,’” Jones said. “‘Do you guys agree with that?’”

Both parties could agree the investigation has or hasn’t produced convincing evidence a violation occurred or there’s nowhere to go for the time being, but they could look into future issues that arise.

“Both could agree there’s not enough, and they could both have suspicions. And still suspicions are different than demonstrating if the violation occurred,” said Jones, who is now chair of the Collegiate Sports Practice for the Ice Miller law firm in Indianapolis.

Where things could get dicey is if A&M doesn’t agree with the enforcement staff. If A&M plays Manziel and credible evidence exists or emerges that he violated amateurism rules, the school could have to vacate wins in games he plays in.

If Manziel is found to have lied to the NCAA, Jones cautioned, that could elevate the seriousness of his case.

A&M is probably not at risk for more serious charges such as postseason bans or probation if it’s working closely with the NCAA because no institutional responsibility is alleged — for example, no coaches or boosters are known to be involved in the allegations against Manziel.

A&M system chancellor John Sharp has said that he knows Manziel is innocent. Manziel has continued to practice with the team and is listed as the starter on the depth chart.

Freshman Kenny Hill of Southlake Carroll and junior Matt Joeckel of Arlington are vying for the backup position. Sumlin said the competition was “ongoing,” not tipping his hand at who would start if Manziel doesn’t.

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